My brother has been telling me for years how cool the festival is: all the plays, shows, musicals, comedians… that one can see during this August macro festival. It seems this year there are 2088 different shows to choose from! That is over TWO THOUSAND different shows! You should check out this fact and other cool ones at edfringe.com.

But I can’t go, and it sounds like so much fun! And I’m missing out on it!

I have found the 2nd best thing, though. It does not beat being there in person, but alas! it is so near it! The answer is:

The independent fringe reviewer website

You see, every morning I can ease myself into the fringe by checking out their blog. This way I know what’s been going on.

I follow it with a look at the photoblog so I can visualize Edinburgh’s fringe flair better.

If there are no new interviews that day, I then plunge into the dozen reviews which have appeared in the last 24 hours at hairline. I laugh at their reviews of good comedians, I envy that the reviewers got to see this or that play and I pat my pocket happily at not having spent money in that other particularly bad show. I muse a bit over which two shows would I go see if I could be in Edinburgh right then and settle for one drama and one comedy.

I always choose a third show from the Free Fringe reviews, for there is no way I would be able to afford three plays per day and they have some free shows which are really intriguing (check out the Zoo show!).

I then take a peek at their Stalkers section which I have been leaving for the end, as a “fringe dessert”. Will the hairline people have spotted any famous people today??

Finally, just as I’m about to turn in for the day, I check out the Hairline quote of the day, for it guarantees to send me to bed with a smile on my lips.

As my subconscious takes over for the night, my mind fills up with all these images from the fringe, which I might not have seen in person, but they sure feel real.

Sweet dreams hairline editors and reviewers and keep up the good work, for I’ll be checking you out tomorrow again…

Random unrelated posts

• 10 weirdest things I’ve seen in… Dublin (Ireland) (part 1) (2)
• Automatic backup of Windows computers using Linux (0)
• USB forwarding on Xen (0)
• Blogging strategies: length, frequency and topics (3)
• Rio versus NoNo - which one is better? (1)

Day 51 - Eureka!

I have finally figured out the one flaw in the design here people and it’s not in the No!No! itself. The system has only one place where it falls short and that is the little sanding disc you are given.

Now, before I go into why it’s so bad, I’ll just save you some time and tell you what to get to replace it. Go get a pedicure or foot sanding thing. You know. Those things in pedicure kits that look like an emery board for an elephant. Yeah! They take callouses off of your heels. Here’s why the No!No!’s is no good. First, it’s on a piece of foam with two flaps cut into it so you can hang on while you sand. Mine just fell apart. Also, the sand paper on it (I don’t know what else to call it) is like 1000 grit. It’s so fine, it feels like nothing is happening — and actually, so little is happening that I have had to continue shaving to get rid of the burnt up hairs that weren’t being sanded off!

So! GET THE NO!NO!, but throw that little, stupid sanding disc in the garbage! Useless. I believe they call it a “Buffer”. Toss it out and get something that heel sanding thing. Now I don’t have to shave anymore!.. YAY!!!

LATER!

TheAymster

To be continued…

Related post(s)

• NoNo post - day 42 - Definite Results (0)
• NoNo post - day 24 - Some progress (3)
• NoNo post - day 18 - What’s up with that? (0)
• NoNo posts - days 5 to 12 (0)
• NoNo posts - days 1 to 3 (0)

Day 42 - Definite Results

After 6 weeks of using the No!No! I can honestly tell you that the hair is growing in finer than before. If I do shave it takes the hair a day to come back, where before I got a five o’clock shadow! Wish I could tell you the hair is totally gone, but like anything, it takes time. Some areas are doing better than others. I’m pretty thankful for the progress so far and I’m sure it will continue. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted. I’ll keep enjoying the smell of burning hairs and the infrequency of shaving for the time being.

LATER!

TheAymster

To be continued…

Related post(s)

• NoNo post - day 51 - Eureka! (2)
• NoNo post - day 24 - Some progress (3)
• NoNo post - day 18 - What’s up with that? (0)
• NoNo posts - days 5 to 12 (0)
• NoNo posts - days 1 to 3 (0)

BUT, olivetalks is not dead, it was just in a coma! A coma caused by overwork, a few days holidays and… did I mention too much work? So no posts have appeared in over a month and some of our regulars have started wondering whether to call the police to search for us (thanks Anna, iworms, Aymster!) but we are back! Yes, my dear “virtual” friends. We are back and we will make it up to you for not deserting us in these weeks of complete silence.

In the next weeks we have already lined up:

• Two posts on nono (thanks to TheAymster, of course)
• An interview with TheAymster on nono
• A post on Rio which was written 3 weeks ago and has been gathering Internet dust since then
• A post on Edinburgh’s Fringe festival
• and many more!
  

For today, I will leave you with the news that we are back and a small treat: check out olivetalks new page Koen Suidgeest’s blogs, from where you can access this producer/director’s blogs on films and documentaries (as in blogs where he shares his everyday experiences while preparing films!).

Excited at olivetalks revival? We are

Related post(s)

• Rio versus NoNo - which one is better? (1)
• NoNo post - day 51 - Eureka! (2)
• NoNo post - day 42 - Definite Results (0)
• NoNo post - day 24 - Some progress (3)
• NoNo post - day 18 - What’s up with that? (0)

Day 24 - Some progress

It’s been over 3 weeks of using the no!no! and I think there’s some progress being made. I have noticed my bikini area seems to be responding the best along with my armpits and my legs running up at the end - Which is rather sad. What’s the first thing a guy notices? Your LEGS!!! But, having said that, shaving is much, much easier and the results much smoother.

My leg hair is quite coarse, so I believe that it is coming back finer. This is following in line with what the no!no! promises, so it is living up to it’s reputation. Anything worth having is worth working for girls! Go for the gusto… And fry you wiry little suckers!!!

Later!

TheAymster

To be continued…

Related post(s)

• NoNo post - day 51 - Eureka! (2)
• NoNo post - day 42 - Definite Results (0)
• NoNo post - day 18 - What’s up with that? (0)
• NoNo posts - days 5 to 12 (0)
• NoNo posts - days 1 to 3 (0)

I can’t wait to see if I bought the wrong machine or not. I mean, I rather I didn’t, for I paid loads of money for the Rio machine, but if NoNo is better, hey, I’ll be the first one to want to know. As you know, I do not work for Rio, I just want those black hairs gone!! Even if it means throwing my Rio machine and getting a different Hair Remover machine, it it proves to work better!

Day 18 - What’s up with that? (originally published June 24, 2008)

I think I’m doing something right on my arms and bikini area and something wrong on my legs. I can definitely notice a slowing down of the growth in my pits and bikini, but my legs have me stupefied! I’d love to be able to not worry about the hair on my legs anymore, but it looks like that is the most stubborn stuff there is! What’s it made of? TEFLON???

Well, I’ll keep trying. The good news is that I think I’m making progress. I’ll just have to be more thorough with my bottom half.

Later!

TheAymster

To be continued…

Related post(s)

• NoNo post - day 51 - Eureka! (2)
• NoNo post - day 42 - Definite Results (0)
• NoNo post - day 24 - Some progress (3)
• NoNo posts - days 5 to 12 (0)
• NoNo posts - days 1 to 3 (0)

Nono - day 4 (originally published on June 8, 2008)

Day 4 - Challenges and rewards

I am the mistress pit hair slayer!!! I am able to get into all the crevises and burn it away.

However, my legs are another story. No matter how many times I go over a spot I just can’ seem to get close enough. I am convinced that it has to do with the way the hair is lying. If I can give myself the shivers and the hairs stand up, then I will have more success. I could also use some Electric Shave to make them stand on end. We shall see, we shall see… In the meantime I keep on going.No reduction yet. I’ll keep trying. It’s only been 4 days people! These are mutant hairs!!! Throw me a frickin’ bone!

Later!

Nono - day 7 (originally published on June 12, 2008)

Day 7 - I am a mutant

Well, perhaps that’s a bit strong, but I am certain that I have not had enough time with this machine. My leg hair is coarse and strong. I tried it on my arm on the second day and that hair is just now growing back. So, I’m not giving up. I’m not even a little concerned about long term results. I refuse to believe that this purchase has been in vain. I see it’s working. I smell the burnt hair.

If anything, I am determined to see this through.

Later!

Nono - day 12 (originally published on June 17, 2008)

Day 12 - Hankering for hairless

I’ve been seeing the no!no! on HSN for the past couple of days. It’s interesting watching them use the product. Lots of people called with questions. Something I learned that I didn’t know… When the cartridge is done, the light actually goes from green to red. Which is good. I was wondering if I’d worn one out yet or not.

I’ve also gotten a lot better at burning the hairs. I was way too quick before. Once I slowed down, I found that I could roll the no!no! backwards and go over the same spot without being burned. This came in really handy as you do have to continuously go over some places to burn the hairs… This is NOT, repeat, NOT the no!no!’s fault. It has to do with the angle of the hairs. So, I’ll need to be a little more thorough in some spots.

TheAymster

To be continued..

Related post(s)

• NoNo post - day 51 - Eureka! (2)
• NoNo post - day 42 - Definite Results (0)
• NoNo post - day 24 - Some progress (3)
• NoNo post - day 18 - What’s up with that? (0)
• NoNo posts - days 1 to 3 (0)

So today, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present, the first of the The NoNo posts, by TheAymster.

Nono - day 1 (originally published on June 5, 2008)

My First Day…

I just got my new, beautiful, blue No!No! in the mail. I was so excited I watched the DVD immediately. According to the DVD it’s very easy to use and the only places you shouldn’t use it are the head, breasts and genetalia. It also helps to be careful how you use it and clean it out periodically for better performance. Pretty nice and informative… But who cares!!! Let’s BURN SOME HAIR! Mwaa-ha-ha-haaa!

I can tell you that putting the thing together was a snap. Too easy to talk about. Snap in a blade and you’re ready to go! They tell you to try it on flat surfaces first. I can see why. If you’ve got trim legs, angles are tough.

The smell of burning hair is very apparent, but if it gets my hair down to a minimum or gone completely, I’m all for it. I’ve done worse things in the name of beauty. When you get one leg completely done, which takes about as much time as an electric razor, you have to buff it with the buffer. If you had long hair at the beginning then you have to use the longer hair cartridge, then buff, then use the stubble cartridge and then buff again. Sounds like a lot, but it’s no big deal.

I couldn’t help myself, I did every area on my body I no longer wanted to shave. I mastered the NO!NO! so fast it wasn’t even funny. I’m loving it… Long term results I’ll have to let you know.

Later!

TheAymster

Nono - day 2 (originally published on June 6, 2008)

The Second Day…

Well, I’ve been burning the hair away again today. Not much change from having to shave so far. They promise a reduction in hair growth, so it’ll take a little time I’m sure for the results to be noticable. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. In the meantime, it’s great fun.

I’ve taken my sweet time when using the machine today. I started with my pits today, which may have been a mistake considering that it’s only my second time using. A couple of times I did notice a bit of burning. It’s really hard getting all the valleys.

I did just my legs and pits today. Working well. Don’t expect totally smooth legs. I’m more interested in the disruption of the hair folicle. I want readers to understand that this product is not designed to make your legs silky smooth from the get go. It’s meant to burn off the hair and create a disruption in the growth cycle that will hopefully one day put an end to the growth of the hair.

I do love a good challenge and can’t resist the burning of the hair. Sizzle you suckers!

TheAymster

Nono - day 3 (originally published on June 7, 2008)

Oh yes, Day 3!

You’re probably thinking… She’s gotten results already? But all I can say is that it has gotten easier to use this machine. The curved areas aren’t so bad. I still love hearing them sizzle… Those hairs have given me so much heartache in past years they’re finally getting what’s coming to them!!!

I did my bikini area today which I skipped yesterday and I may go do my legs later yet today. Still some time left to burn them up.

Later!

TheAymster

To be continued…

Related post(s)

• NoNo post - day 51 - Eureka! (2)
• NoNo post - day 42 - Definite Results (0)
• NoNo post - day 24 - Some progress (3)
• NoNo post - day 18 - What’s up with that? (0)
• NoNo posts - days 5 to 12 (0)

with my posts on the Rio machine posts, I have been sharing with you my impressions on the machine as I battled against those unwanted ever-growing hairs. The intention as you all know, is to help you decide whether buying the Rio machine is worth it or not, as the machine costs a fair amount.

When I was first thinking about buying it myself or not, I went to quite a few web sites where users had commented on the Rio Salon Laser Scanning Hair Remover (ok, from now, I will use the Amazon acronym Rio LAHS, the name is ridiculously long!). I was not very convinced with the user comments I found, as they all posted just a week after buying the product and never again afterwards, and the instructions of the Rio LAHS clearly say that it takes quite a few months to see its results (not because the machine is slow, but because the process is slow. It takes the same amount of time if you go to a professional salon! or so they say…). And this is how the idea of the olivetalks posts on Rio came up. The second thing that was initially stopping me from purchasing this machine was not knowing if the Rio LAHS was better or not from other similar products like no!no! or TRIA. At the end, I just went for the one I “had the feeling” I had read less comments against and… was easier for me to get (as in it was the only one advertised in the on line shopping magazine I had received a few weeks earlier).

So where am I getting at with this long introduction? Well, wouldn’t you agree that even better than reading about someone’s experiences over a period of a year on the Rio LAHS to see if it is good or not, it would be reading about someone’s experiences on the Rio machine AND the other Hair Remover machines? This way you would be able to compare them better and choose the one that convinces you most! Am I not right?

Well, today I am glad to announce the beginning of… No!No! Hair Remover posts in olivetalks!

No, I did not buy myself a No!No! machine, as my pocket is still recovering from buying the Rio one. And no, the No!No! producers did not send me a free “sample” to try and comment on (did they not get the hint from one my comments in the Rio post day 9?). But in olivetalks we are going to offer you the second best thing: guest posts on No!No!

One of our readers has been kind enough to agree to move her No!No! posts to olivetalks and this way provide other people in the same situation as us more information on the different hair removal machines out there. Isn’t she nice?

And additionally to her posts, we will be having entries on the differences between the Rio machine and No!No!, interviews,…

So watch out, readers, because the No!No! posts from TheAymster are coming to olivetalks! And to you TheAymster, welcome!

All the best,

LadyRostand

Related post(s)

• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 10 (6)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 9 (8)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 8 (9)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? armpits area (day 4) (3)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 7 (5)

The boxing match

Ladies and gentlemen! cried the presenter from the middle of the ring. Welcome to the fight of the decade! The one you have all (hairy people) been waiting for!

On the right corner… shouted the presenter while a bright light shone on the right arm, I mean, corner …coming all the way from the right forearm, in an otherwise hairless and white skin area, The Blacky Hair!!!!

yaaay! screamed the audience. Hold on to your roots! Hold on to your roots! chanted the crowd, while The Blacky Hair stood proudly, with its 1 cm length and obvious strength, extremely conspicuous among the otherwise thin, weak and scarce hairs in the creamy coloured forearm.

The Blacky Hair, our champion from the last few years will be facing a new challenger tonight! He will be fighting the machine that has been threatening the survival of many other non-sleeping hairs… Ladies and gentlemen!!!! this morning… I bring you… all the way from Rio, showing up now on the left corner of the ring… The Laser Hair Remover!!!

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! went the excited crowd.

And among the cheering and deafening sounds coming from the audience, The Blacky Hair looked and growled at The Laser Hair Remover, which was noticing the pressure to perform well (aware of its doubtful track so far against other nasty hairs) but nevertheless still feeling confident in its resistance, if not speed, and suddenly it was heard Let the fight begin!

Ting! Round 1, the bell announced…

The Laser Hair Remover after a sneaky scissory move that reduced The Blacky Hair to a 5th of its height, jumped over it and pinned it down for 30 seconds straight! The Blacky Hair, though, having heard about its opponent’s moves, successfully managed to avoid he blunt of the attack and just receive a sided Laser “heat”. The Laser Hair Remover knowing that a second attack in the same area to try to improve its aim would be considered a foul move, backed off, hoping that the first punch will prove to have been enough to burn its opponent to its roots…

Round 2 coming soon…

PS. After this 1st round, The Laser Remover went to practice a bit more, attacking “old acquaintances” in the Bikini Line, practicing its aim and working on improving its success rate.

<< previous entry -“Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? -

Related post(s)

• Rio versus NoNo - which one is better? (1)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 9 (8)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 8 (9)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? armpits area (day 4) (3)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 7 (5)

Just a few minutes before sitting down to write the post on today’s experience with the Rio Machine, I talked briefly with my mother via msn. I have copied and pasted here the part regarding Rio because it pretty much summarized my feelings at the moment. I have kept the conversation in Spanish which is how it took place, and I have translated freely into English underneath.

(22:07:27) mother: ya vi que estan muy interesado con tu depilacion

I saw they are very interested in your depilation

(22:07:32) LadyRostand: a que si????

Aren’t they???

(22:07:47) mother: si, asi que ponle mas enfasis positivo

Yes, so write with a more positive attitude

(22:07:51) LadyRostand: pero no voy a mentir!

But I am not going to lie!

(22:07:57) LadyRostand: el problema es que yo que me he aburrido ya…

The problem is I am already bored (of the whole process)

(22:08:28) mother: ya, pero yo estoy segura de que funciona, el problema eres tu que quieres resultados inmediatos

I know, buy I am sure it works, the problem is you, because you want immediate results

Constancy is not one my strengths, true, specially if there are no obvious advantages to it. When I bought the Rio Laser machine, I wanted to be able to stop having to shave (duh, you may think). And preferably within a couple of sessions. True as well. Sure, I read that it requires patience and multiple sessions… but as always, I thought: sure! no problem! But after a couple of weeks it’s like, ok, I’m bored, and the hairs continue to grow unperturbed by my attacks… With today’s session, I have lasered my bikini line 9 times in almost 5 months. So, about twice per month. The results? The demise of some isolated hairs.

So, yes, my mother is right: I want results fast and without too much effort from my part. And yes, if it weren’t for you: The Aymster, Anna, Monique, Sebastian… I would have stopped using the Rio Laser months ago already. So thank you! When the results take time, it is always so much easier to do anything if there are people encouraging you…

So, with summer a month away, it is time to do some emergency planning from the experience gained. The Rio Laser Hair Remover Machine is NOT going to make me bikini-line hairless by the 1st of July. Specially if I keep finding it more and more difficult to get myself to use the machine because of it’s tediousness. Ok. But, what it CAN do, is remove those hairs that appear near the bikini line, by themselves and, of course, because they are extra black, they tend to stay perpendicular to the leg and have the ability to make themselves extra conspicuous. Now, I have seen it work against isolated hairs. I can perfectly point half a dozen places in my body where there was a hair that would every second week appear and say “hi there, I am back” (with a nasty tiny grin, I must add) and now are hairless (HA! I could have shouted to those now gone hairs, but didn’t for fear of sounding too crazy).

So we have a plan for the bikini like, ladies and gentlemen. I will still have to shave most of the bikini-line this summer, but oh, those nasty isolated hairs (like the sneaky single black one that appears under my bellybutton) are going down!

<< previous entry -“Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? - continue reading >>

Related post(s)

• Rio versus NoNo - which one is better? (1)
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• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 7 (5)

6. The insides of the beast

Brussels apartment distributions are weird.

The ads claim: 1 room! 2 rooms! Contrary to the German system, where by Zimmer they mean bedrooms AND living room (2 rooms meaning 1 bedroom and 1 living room, for example), in Brussels by chambres they mean bedrooms. The living room counting as a separate entity. But Alas! what they claim a bedroom is! Look at the sketches of the two example apartments I saw.

The green rectangle is the main door to the apartment. The larger squares represent the living room plus kitchen area. The blue rectangles are the doors between the rooms. And they say A and B are the bedrooms… They will say “square” B is a bedroom! But tell me, how would you like your guests to go through your bedroom to have to go to the toilet? Excuse me I call B an enlarged corridor.

7. All the offers of the UGC cinemas

“To save money because coming to the cinema is expensive, we offer you 5 day tickets which are valid Monday to Thursday, saving you 2 EUR per ticket, or 5 day tickets valid Monday to Sunday which save you 1.2 EUR or our best offer yet, UGC membership cards for 17 EUR per month which allow you to watch any film and as many as you want, at whatever time, on whatever day, each month!” Tiny print: “But we are going to charge you 30c every time you go to the toilet…”

8. Hat off to you Brusselians!

Mobiles (”GSM” as the Valons call them) are free/open! That is, they will work with any card, from any mobile company, from any country. And they don’t cost you 100 EUR extra just because they are not mobile company-restricted like it happens in other countries. Weird item, but I’m taking my hat off Brussels.

9. And I must put my hat on again…

Item number 9 of my list is more sad than weird. Brussels is “sold” as a bilingual city. In theory by bilingual they mean: French and Flemish, but in practice it is more French and English. Sure, cool for foreigners, but 1. completely unfair for the Flemish community who can’t speak their own language in their own city. All signs and advertisements are bilingual (often also in English) but if they go to shops or hospitals, either they speak French or they go hungry/bleed out. 2. foreigners who live for over a year (I’ve met some who have lived up to 10 years in Brussels now!) who cannot even say good morning and thank you should be ashamed at themselves for their lack of respect to their welcoming host.

10. The growing ball

To finish on a lighter note, a situation that I hope is not the norm in Brussels North train station. On a Saturday at 6:30 am, through the loudspeaker you could hear the following announcements for passengers:

“attention, train arriving at platform 5 now arriving at platform 7, I repeat, train arriving at platform 5 now arriving at platform 7, attention, train arriving at platform 4 now arriving at platform 2, I repeat, train arriving at platform 4 now arriving at platform 2, attention, train arriving at platform 3 now arriving at platform 5, I repeat, train arriving at platform 3 now arriving at platform 5, attention, train arriving at platform 1 now arriving at platform 4, I repeat, train arriving at platform 1 now arriving at platform 4, attention…”

You could just imagine how it all started: the first train of the morning was sent to the wrong platform and after it, all following trains had to have their platforms changed. And all the passengers running from one platform to the other… I wonder how many got on the wrong trains!

And this is all folks for today. Or maybe not… I do have a bar of battery on my EEE left… maybe I could start the 10 weird things of Buenos Aires now…

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• 10 weird things about the health system in Jena (3)
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So, here are the first 5 things that have surprised me most in the three weeks I have been in Brussels. As always, I am not claiming they are things that always happen in Brussels, but I did see them, and I did see them in Brussels at least once, so they have become, for me, “Brusselian” things.

1. How to distinguish Europeans from mere mortals… look at their luggages!

I am not talking about Europeans as in citizens of one of the EU countries or even the European continent, but as in those working for EU institutions that live in Brussels most of the time but do not pay taxes in Brussels. They walk around, specially on Monday morning and Friday evening, with those small, black, rectangle, wheeled luggages that are just small enough to be considered hand luggage by air plane companies but big enough to fit one’s PJs, toothbrush and a couple of pieces of underwear and t-shirts. Look around the European institutions: if the person is carrying one of those luggages, he/she earns 3000 EUR netto. Otherwise, the poor person might have a contract that says 3000 EUR but after th 44% tax, they will only see 1680 EUR. PS. The cost of living in Brussels is the same for everybody, though…

2. Tell me how you dress and I will tell you where you come from

Besides the “snaily” Europeans that carry their possessions in those tiny luggages you can find all sorts of people in Brussels. It is very interesting to see African women with those large colourful dresses that I have seen in… well, films about Africa, standing besides Orthodox Jews with their black suits, hats and hanging strings of curly hair at each side of the head, near suited business people, cowboys with hats, Muslims with their baggy trousers and vests and even a few monks! Not monks as in priests that I have seen plenty in other places, but monks with their brown vests and white “ropie” belts.

3. The Brusselian vicious circle

Beware of the annoying Brusselian vicious circle. And good luck breaking it! What is it you ask? In one line, this:

house –> bank –> Belgian id number –> house

Which means: you move to Brussels for a new job. You need a house or apartment to live in, right? So, if you are very lucky, your new company offers you provisional accommodation. If not, if you can afford it, you go to a hotel to survive till you find a place to rent. If you know someone in Brussels, you thank them for the corner where to rest your exhausted body while you carry out your accommodation search.

But you see, to rent a flat, you need a bank account with two months rent as provision and the first month of rental. You need this account to get paid by your new employers at the end of the month, as well, of course. So you go to the bank first (Fortis, ING and Argenta are the banks you hear most of). People that have been living in Brussels for a while now, recomend Argenta because it is the only one that does not charge you every time you take money out, transfer money, for the cards, etc. You go visit them first then, and there you find out they cannot open an account for you until you have a Belgian resident number. Oh dear… one gets those at a “Commune”, as in at one of the “town halls” of the 19 communes or neighbourhoods of Brussels, when you sign up in one of them. But, to sign up at, for example Etterbeek or Ixelles or whichever commune you want to belong to, you need… a house/apartment in that commune!

So… the way out of the vicious circle? Three options: the first one is to cry your eyes out at the bank/commune, till one of them feels sorry for you and makes an exception. I’ve heard it works sometimes… The second one is to show them the money: ING will open a Green Account for you for 30 EUR for a year, even if you do not have a Belgian number or a house in Belgium. I think they call it a Green Account because it’s the account newcomers accept after getting really annoyed, as on Hulk-annoyed, of course. The catch: you must have a CDI, ie. “un contrat à durée indéterminée” as in a contract with no expiry date. The third one would fall in the Pay if forward category. Basically, if you are staying at a friend’s house, get them to put your name in the mailbox, and go with you to the commune. Then convince them you live in the same flat and get a Belgian number. Once you have the Belgian number, get a bank account, get a flat and go to the commune again to change your address. It is the pay it forward option because your friend had the same favour done to them by someone else, and as you cannnot repay them in the same way, just make sure you get out of the vicious circle someone else in the future. This third option is not easy though… see weird thing number 4!

4. The blue-suit visit

As I was saying in item number 3, to get a Belgian ID you have to go to the commune. But to go, you must first get an appointment by phone which will be… 3 weeks to a month later. Your day finally comes, you pay the 5 EUR for the 5 pictures they want, the 7.5 EUR for the processing of your forms and show them your house contract and CDI contract. “Très bien” they’ll say, “now a policeman will go to your house to check you live there and in 6 weeks we will send you the invitation to pick up your ID”. “A cop??? But I am not really going to start living in my new apartment till I go to IKEA next weekend to buy a bed!” you think while smiling and thanking them for their time. “6 weeks??” you scream mentally while hopping you don’t get run over by a cyclist on your way to work, for, of course, you cannot get Health insurance until you have the Belgian ID…

5. The house hunt

I never understood this expression. I mean, you go visit a few apartments and when you see one you like (or you get really tired of looking) you choose one. For me it sounds more like going to the zoo: the realtor or the internet sites display a few for you, in a well behaved and constrained manner, and you just see, apraise and select. Internet is widely used for may things, including offering accommodation for rent/sale and you can see many websites with appartmets to let in Brussels. But the method locals and adopted locals recommend and actually works is: walking around the area you like and taking note of phone numbers of apartments to rent displayed on windows! Now that’s what I would call really house hunting! Choose a street, walk down it and bang! your eye catches the glimpse of an orange sigh with the words “à louer - te huur”. And write down the phone number. Walk along a few more streets and bang bang! two signs more found and duly noted. And then start phoning

… 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 in part 2!

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• 10 weirdest things I’ve seen in… Brussels (Belgium) (part 2) (2)
• 10 weirdest things I’ve seen in… Dublin (Ireland) (part 2) (11)
• 10 weirdest things I’ve seen in… Dublin (Ireland) (part 1) (2)
• 10 weird things about the health system in Jena (3)
• 10 weirdest things I’ve seen in… Jena (Germany) (part 2) (5)

As I mentioned on armpits day 4, this bikini session number 8 already was going to have a very special guest. ZoltarStark agreed to be in charge of lasering my bikini line! The aim of the experiment was to 1. try out the idea of whether it is easier/less boring if someone else does it for you. 2. have another person’s opinion on the machine besides mine in olivetalks (as the readers who got the machine are so entertained with it, they have not come back to share their stories )

A few days before the session, in preparation to Saturday’s test, I shaved with cream the bikini area. Now, you might have read in previous entries that I had decided to trim the hairs in the bikini line one by one with scissors and not shave like I do with my armpits, to avoid the after shaving bumps/irritation on the skin. Unfortunately, I forgot the rationale behind my plan, and to make it easier for ZoltarStark to laser the area, i did shave… and regreted it 24 hours later when the bumps appeared. Fortunately, by Saturday they had subdued quite a bit and we could proceed with the test.

So I taught him how to turn on the Rio machine, the code, how to place the wand, how to press the botton while lasering, how the blinking sound and light stop after the 30 seconds in Power Level III are over, and how to raise the wand and proceed to the next 5 mm of skin. And how do I aim? he asked… with difficulty, I answered. So, I laid back on our huge and amazing sofa, relaxed and settled to enjoy the show. 5 minutes. After 5 minutes the speech on how it was a waste of time and hairs are there for a reason and are a natural thing and we should not be wasting time shaving/lasering began. He decided against going after the hairs I pointed out and just do slowly but steadyly piece by piece (like Katie Malua’s song) the whole area. Ignoring if he could see hairs or not. As part of the excercise, I decided to shut up and let him do After a few more minutes we concluded that if you can get someone else to do it for you (husband/boyfriend/girlfriend…) they will rather hand you the money to go to a professional salon 10 times than spend another minute with the slow death machine. Think about it, you could get 10 sessions in a beauty salon for the price of one Rio machine: you get the machine, get the person that loves you but agrees you’d maybe be better without those hairs on your legs, or arms, or whereever, and chances are, after 5 minutes, they will either give you the money for the salon or admit they actually like you “just like you are”, à la Bridget Jones, with hairs and all.

Regardless of whether the person doing it gets tired or not, I have to say it was really cool having someone else do the lasering and hold the wand. While ZoltarStark patiently “wanded” around (new word? ) I was able to write notes for this post.

After an hour on my left leg, ZoltarStark, with a stiff neck and a bored and dreading face exclaimed “and that was only one leg (bikini-line side)!?” And with a Scroogian voice he added “Ridiculous procedure, I don’t even see any difference“. Yup, I mentioned that in one of my first posts on the Rio Laser Hair Remover machine. “LadyRostand… can we take a short break?” sure honey… “LadyRostand… how about just doing the left leg? That way we can compare both sides in a week’s time to see if there are any differences…” Sure honey

So, in reality, this is day 8 for the left side of my bikini line, but the right side’s last session was on day 7. And now it’s been almost a week. Do I see any differences between both sides? Let me check…. hard to say… how annoying…

<< previous entry -“Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? - continue reading >>

Related post(s)

• Rio versus NoNo - which one is better? (1)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 10 (6)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 9 (8)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? armpits area (day 4) (3)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 7 (5)

On armpits-day 3, I wondered if I would notice a decrease in hairs by the next session, as I hadn’t noticed anything so far. Today I have to say, I do have the impression there is a decrease in the density of hairs. It’s not plainly obvious, but less hairs seem to have grown since last time I shaved. I guess I will be able to say if it’s really true, or I’m just wishfully imagining, by next session. Fingers crossed…

Today it took three hours…

Left arm up, half the armpit done, left hand falls asleep, right arm up, half the armpit done, right hand falls asleep, phone rings, chat with sister for half an hour, left arm up again, remaining half of the armpit done, uy, starving, cook and eat lunch, right arm up again, remaining half of the armpit done. Phew… if it weren’t for Xoro and Friends chapters, I wouldn’t last half the time doing it. Ok, and knowing that you (yes, you, reader) are interested in the results, helps too.

I have two months to my self-imposed deadline (30th of June) when I’ll have to stop using the laser Rio machine until I come back from sunbathing (as I do not want to get any spots in the lasered areas as they say it might happen if they are exposed to the Sun during the month after a laser session). I do not see myself not having to shave at all this summer, but at least there will be less hair to shave AND those stray isolated hairs that appear in the oddest places and I have targeted won’t be there. Small victory against the hairs, but a victory nevertheless. And as Connie said, maybe not this year, nor the next, but oh, all the hairs are going eventually down! Ok, not the ones on my head, eyebrows and eyelashes. I am fond of those. Oh and I don’t mind the ones on my arms either…

Last thing of the day: I am always looking for new stories to share with you to complement each entry of the Rio Laser Hair Remover. I doubt you would like a dozen posts with only “armpits done, initial number of hairs: 120, result after a week: 110″. So, if you have any questions or suggestions of what would you like to know about the process, or you’d like to share your stories, do let me know. You can always leave a note with a random nickname, so you shouldn’t be shy, nobody is going to know who you are. But for next session (bikini area day 8 already!) I have an interesting experiment lined up. I think it’s going to be fun. Sneak preview? ZoltarStark is going to be involved…

<< previous entry -“Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? - continue reading >>

Related post(s)

• Rio versus NoNo - which one is better? (1)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 10 (6)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 9 (8)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 8 (9)
• “Rio Laser Hair Remover” does it work? day 7 (5)